System and method for network-enabled automatic electronic defibrillators

An emergency response system for alerting trained neighborhood volunteer operators to collect an automatic external defibrillator (AED) and deliver the AED to a neighborhood cardiac emergency, comprising:

• at least two AEDs held in lockboxes in different geographic locations in a neighborhood community;
• a central emergency dispatch hub configured to send an emergency alert to the trained neighborhood volunteer operators;
• and
• a device configured to communicate with the trained neighborhood volunteer operators and alert the trained neighborhood volunteer operators of the neighborhood cardiac emergency and a location of a victim of the neighborhood cardiac emergency,
• wherein the lockboxes are configured to unlock automatically upon receiving a signal from the central emergency dispatch hub or from a trained neighborhood volunteer operator in a vicinity of the lockbox and to remain unlocked for a period of time after receiving a signal and then relock automatically or remain unlocked if an AED is removed and relock automatically only after the AED is returned to the lockbox.